Potato-digger.



P. BLACK.

POTATO DIGGER.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 11, 1917.

1,279,502. latented Sept. 24,1918.

PAUL BLACK, ALGONA, IOWA. i

ro'rA'ro DIeenn.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, PAUL BLAoK, a citizenof the United States, residing atAlgona, in the county of Kossuth, State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improve ments in Potato-Diggers; and I do hereby declare the followingtobe a full, clear, and

exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the'art to which.

it appertains to make and-use the same.

This invention relates to potato diggers. The object of the invention is to provide a practical potato digger or harvester in connection with which the running gear of an ordinary cultivator may be employed, thereby, I avoid the necessity of providing a separate running gear and draft means in connection with the potato harvester to thus effect a consequent saving in cost for farming machinery, and in storage space required. A further object of the invention is to provide a potato digger which will lift the potatoes in an efiicient manner, and then spread them upon the ground for delivering. 7 With the above objects in view, and such others relating to the details of construction,

as may hereinafter appear, my invention will now be fully set forth and described,

reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the device attached to a cultivator running gear,

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the machine detached from the running gear,

Fig. 3 is a front view,

Fig. 4 is a rear view, I

Fig. 5 is a perspective View showing the frame structure, and

Fig. 6 is a sectional view showing a spreader structure.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 indicates a beam or tongue of the cultivator, which is preferably a part of a running gear of a riding cultivator. Adapted to be secured to the forward portion of the tongue 1 is a pair of beams 2 which diverge from a common forward coupling yoke 3, the latter terminating upon its upper side in an eye 4 which is looped through the eye of an eye bolt 5 which is detachably carried by the beam 1. The beams 2, as they diverge, curve downwardly, and at their inner ends are shaped into the downwardly and forwardly curved arms 6.

The arms 6 are bolted or riveted to the Specification of Letters' ]E'atent.

which extends downwardly at an incline and fPatented-Sept. e4, 1918. Application filedDe ccmber 11,1917. Seria1No.2 0 6,661.'

whose forward end is shaped to cut into thepotato rows and take up the potatoestherefrom. Bolted to. the outer sides of the beams 2, and extending downwardly vertically therefrom are the-arms 8 of a U-shaped-support 9 which underlies the plow or scoop 7 and isbolted-thereto to hold the latter in th proper. relation to the beams 2. Y

Bolted .to' thearms 8 are the two-armedbrackets 11, the brackets 11 extending rear:

wardly from the arms 8 in triangular relation, so that the rear apeXes ofthe triangles provide bearings for a transverse shaft 12."

The transverse shaft 12 carries, between the brackets 11, a roller or drum 18which'co1r slsts of a plurality of straps or bars 14;

passed across a framing structure 15 and having their ends secured to hub members 16. The framing 15 and the hub 16 form of the drum 13an' ellipsoid, whose-periphery fits within the reentrant curve 17 of the upper'end; ofthe scoop or plow 7, the straps 14, by being spaced apart, providing ridges which will take up the potatoes from the upper end of the scoop 7, and throw them upon the ground, the ellipsoidal form of the drums 13 tending to scatter the potatoes to each side of the rear of the machine so that they are evenly distributed for drying purposes. V

. Also secured to the sides of the bars 8 are the hub brackets 18 upon whose spindles are supported the wheels 19. Said wheels 1.9 are ground. wheels which support the p0- tato digger, and are adjustably mounted upon the arms 8 for vertical adjustment of the plow structure with relation to the row, by means of the selective series of openings 20.

Secured to the inner side of one of the wheels 19 is a gear wheel 21 which stands in mesh with a comparatively small gear wheel the shaft 12. I y

In order to direct the movement of the plow 7 into the soil of the row, a pair of handles 23 isextended rearwardly from the above the forward end of the plow 7 The manner of use of the machine which 22 mounted upon the corresponding end of V has been described will be apparent from the foregoing disclosure, but it should be particularly noted that the device answers the need of a potato digging machine without the necessity of procuring a complete horse drawn running gear structure, since, by the removal of the shovels and shovel beams from an ordinary cultivator frame, and the substitution of the device which has been described, one is-enabled to secure the same degree of efliciency as wouldbe .pos-.

sible from a much heavier and cumbersome machine..,

What I claim as. my 1nvent1on,1sc: 1. A.=potato digger, COI1'1pI1S1I1g 111 combination, a pair of draftzbeams, a trouglh shaped plow carried by the rear ends of the draft beams, a U-shaped,elementsupportr,

ing the forward. endioflthe plowiand sa. cured to the sides of the .draftbeams,framing elements extended rearwardly .fromthe U-shaped element, a drum ,rotatably sup:. ported by said framing elements so that its periphery operates behindthe rear end of r the trough, supporting wheels for the structure and means for rotating the drum.

2. A .potato digger,, comprising in.,com-. bination, a pair of draftgflbeams, a trough-H shaped plow carried byvtheirear ends of the. draft beams, .a U-shaped element v supports ingthe forward end ofthe. plow and S612 cured to the sides of the draft beams, framing elements extended rearwardly from the U-shaped element, a drum rotatably supported by said framing elements so that its periphery operates behind the rear end of the trough, supporting wheels for the structure and means for rotating the drum, said drunrhaving an, ellipsoidal formation and the rear end of the plow having a corresponding indentation to receive the periphery of the drum.

3. A potato dlgger, comprising in combmatlon, a pair ofwdraitebeamaa trough:

shaped. plowcarriedby the rear ends of the 45 PAUL BLACK.

Witnesses. v I WV. L. AYnEs, EDWARD ,AYRES,

Copies of thi s patent may be obtained for five,cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of latents, Washington D G. 

